FIVE HUNDRED FEET LOW AND SLOW OVER THE FLORIDA KEYS
I found a guy on Islamorado, Florida who loved to fly his single engine airplane low and slow over the six lighthouses which guard the eastern side of the keys. What a treat at only sixty bucks an hour to see all that water, the lighthouses, and shoal/reefs.
It was real the only way to economically photograph all the lighthouses from Biscayne Bay in the north to Key West in the south and I got some neat shots. The order of the images, top to bottom, are as follows from north to south beginning with;
Fowery Rocks Lighthouse
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=700
Sand Key
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Key_Light
As you can see all are steel towers placed on shoals or reefs. This type of construction must have been the only way to build and sustain the structure during the many storms and hurricanes in the area.
Most are very close to the Gulf stream and the water drops off from only feet deep to hundreds deep in very short distances. The water is beautiful and the thought of navigating amongst those reefs before lighthouses must have been a nightmare. I thought that the drive from Miami down to Key West was an adventure, but the flight was dramatic. I also got to play on the radio a little, well at least enough to talk to the captain. Flight restrictions on land are such that they have to follow certain guidlines as to how high they must fly and at what speeds, but over water we had fun going "low and slow."
I found a guy on Islamorado, Florida who loved to fly his single engine airplane low and slow over the six lighthouses which guard the eastern side of the keys. What a treat at only sixty bucks an hour to see all that water, the lighthouses, and shoal/reefs.
It was real the only way to economically photograph all the lighthouses from Biscayne Bay in the north to Key West in the south and I got some neat shots. The order of the images, top to bottom, are as follows from north to south beginning with;
Fowery Rocks Lighthouse
http://www.key-biscayne.com/kb/keys/fowey.html
Carysfoot Reef Lighthousehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carysfort_Reef_Light
Alligator Reef Lighthouse
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=702
Sombrero Key Lighthouse
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sombrero_Key_Light
http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=700
Sand Key
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sand_Key_Light
As you can see all are steel towers placed on shoals or reefs. This type of construction must have been the only way to build and sustain the structure during the many storms and hurricanes in the area.
Most are very close to the Gulf stream and the water drops off from only feet deep to hundreds deep in very short distances. The water is beautiful and the thought of navigating amongst those reefs before lighthouses must have been a nightmare. I thought that the drive from Miami down to Key West was an adventure, but the flight was dramatic. I also got to play on the radio a little, well at least enough to talk to the captain. Flight restrictions on land are such that they have to follow certain guidlines as to how high they must fly and at what speeds, but over water we had fun going "low and slow."
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